Laughing Wolf
Monday, February 08, 2010
It Had Nothing To Do With Waterboarding
cross posted at Blackfive
Reporters rarely get to write their own headline, that task being reserved for the copy desk or its equivalent. That said, the headline writers at Foxnews.com have been doing a very bad job of headlines recently. In fact, a number of the headlines to do with the military have sounded a bit like they were hired from the DU.
Case in point: this story about a soldier abusing his child. What he did to her was not waterboarding, or even close to it. In my opinion, it was attempted drowning/attempted murder, and child abuse and only in the fever dreams of the deranged was it anything close to or to do with waterboarding. As point of order, my sincere hope is that if the charges are true, they throw the book at the scum and toss his sorry ass out and into civilian incarceration.
Then there is the one about the ”Special Forces Assassins“ that I have to feel is another fever dream from a deranged copy desk person. If a real military person said that in those exact words and way, then I think they need a party. Sock party out back specifically.
Feh.
LW
really not as grumpy today as he sounds, despite yet another winter storm alert…
Friday, January 29, 2010
Fundraiser For CwtW Today!
Today, there is a bake sale and fundraiser for Cooking with the Wounded taking place in Lafayette, IN. The good people at Uniquely Yours Pottery and Glass are hosting a bake sale and fundraiser for the Yellow Bowl Bakery to help send their team to cook with the wounded at Landstuhl. If you are in the area, please go check it out as all bake sale funds, and a portion of the sale of items from the shop, go to this cause. The sale starts at 10 and goes until the food is gone.
For Students And Others, A Crossing Guide
Having witnessed some idiocy above and beyond the call of duty of late (jaywalking is a major sport in this neck of the woods), I would like to offer the following guide to those confused by pedestrian signals.
White Figure: Is your friend. You may walk safely towards the light.
Flashing Orange/Red Figure: Run. Do not stand there talking to your girl, best bud, reading a book, or picking your nose. Run Forrest, Run!
Red Figure: Stop. Do not walk towards this figure, or you will die a slow, painful, and horrible death screaming in agony beyond comprehension. Everyone around will be glad it isn’t them, and then laugh at you for being stupid enough to walk out into traffic. Frankly, I will likely applaud the application of chlorine to the gene pool.
That said, it is likely to be traumatic on the person who crushes and drags you screaming down the street. It will be unsettling to those that have to scrape up what is left after your last agonized wail has passed.
So, my druthers would be for you to get a brain and a clue, and not walk towards the red figure so as to avoid trauma to innocent parties. Then again, if you weren’t a clueless idiot/self-centered self-absorbed jerk, you probably wouldn’t have walked out there anyway. No loss if you do, but hard on those that have to deal with the aftermath.
Grump.
LW
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Cooking with the Wounded: Important Update
Sorry for the lack of posting, but work, charity, and illness have all had their way with me. More coming soon, promise.
Meantime, go go check out this important update to Cooking with the Wounded’s fundraising kickoff contest over at Blackfive.
LW
Sunday, January 10, 2010
A Unique Display of Patriotism
Don’t play with small children around, or play if your boss is a stick in the mud, but otherwise watch this all the way through. Most interesting, and I have to admit I am curious even though I suspect it is a comic routine (and, sadly, not real).
I found this through Insty, who found it through When Falls the Coliseum, who apparently found it through The Frisky. All I have to say is that if a comedy sketch, I love it; and, if real, I’m amazed at the muscle control. Either way, Amy G., I’m single…
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Bow, Wow, Wow, Lookin’ Out My Back Door
Sorry, seemed much more appropriate than the way the song is written. 
It is cold and a bit grey, but not too bad. Jenny has been torn between wanting to be outside and inside. She just can’t make up her mind…
Looking at this scene below, shot when I was out and about earlier, I decided that I would rather stay in. Hope you all had a day filled with warmth and good cheer.
God Bless Phyllis Diller
This amazing lady STILL supports and does for our troops. Go to Blackfive for the story. That is all.
Thursday, January 07, 2010
Snow Day
I am so glad I have the ability to work at home when needed. The weather outside is frightful, as in the snow continuing to fall well after they thought it might slow down. Not sure what the official measure is, but it was up even with the bottom step out back just now, so a good six to eight there. Thankfully, I have a very nice neighbor with a Bobcat who plows out the road I’m on, and I’ve just done the first plow to get down to it. The way it is coming down, I expect at least one more plow, but for now at least I can just sit back and enjoy working from home and watching the snow fall…
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Into The Light: Helen, Mother of the English Werewolf
It is with sorrow that I report that Helen, the mother of the English Werewolf (who hasn’t posted here in far too long), has lost her fight with cancer. EW reports that she died peacefully, and in no pain. May the light have welcomed her home, and may it shine down upon those she leaves behind, guide them in their journey, and warm them with love.
LW
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Don’t You Feel Good That The Same People Will Be Providing Your Health Care?
Let’s see: Mike Yon is handcuffed at the Seattle airport because he wouldn’t tell a TSA ICE agent how much he makes in a year; and, Joan Rivers is denied boarding because her passport has both her married and her stage name. See here for more and some links.
Okay, so I know a bit more than your average bear wolf about security. I even know a bit about aviation and aviation security. Rather than exploding in an invective-laden rant (very tempting), let me just say that the demand to know how much someone makes a year has no bearing on security. It has a lot to do with taxes, child support, alimony, and politicians dipping hands into your pocket. It is one of those questions that really can’t be checked, as I do believe it is illegal for the TSA ICE to check with the IRS to verify the information. In point of fact, I think that is one of the questions you can’t legally ask in an employment interview… To be even reasonably polite, it is none of a TSA/ICE/HS agent’s fucking business, and indicates the extreme lack of seriousness being applied to aviation and general security by Homeland InSecurity. As a note to Homeland Security (and bureaucraps/REMFS everywhere), we are Citizens, not subjects; and, you are our servants you miserable c*********g illegitimate mentally-challenged offspring of defective gene donors. NOT our masters, no matter how much you desperately want it to be so.
Take Joan Rivers (please!). Her passport has both her married name and her stage name, separated by an AKA. AKA means Also Known As and has no connection with firearms (It’s AK-74,47, etc. not AKA), explosives, or other dangers running loose in the world. What type of brain-dead moron sees this as a threat, or honestly believes that Ms. (or Mr.) Helpful Terrorist is going to give you travel documents that list out all their aliases?
So much for the blood pressure today. Just think, if the Senate and House legislation get merged, these are the same people who are going to be in charge of your healthcare, and administering same. Don’t you just feel special, safe, and comforted to know who is going to be deciding what care you get, when, and how?
Dear Indiana Politicians (and National Too)
The last couple of days have seen some “surveys” arrive in the mailbox from some of my elected representatives. These are fairly short, and I wasn’t satisfied with the answer options on many of them. So, here is an open letter to all politicians.
I appreciate your at least pretending to want my thoughts on some of the topics of the day. It beats being called a teabagger or worse, though I wish you could have given some better answer options. Then again, your lack of same gives me a good excuse to write this.
First of all, I would very much appreciate it if you would not refer to “giving” to me, the people of the county, region, state, etc. What you are doing is taking something, at gunpoint, from those who have earned it and handing it out to curry favor and power. In economic terms, governments don’t create anything, they can only seize and redistribute. Quit pretending otherwise.
Second, and part and parcel to the first, stop the pork. Pork is not bringing home the bacon for your district, it is bringing home the graft to you and yours. Period. Pork is a means of power and enrichment. It is corruption, and frankly anyone who deals in pork needs to be arrested and tried for corruption. While I doubt we can get rid of it completely, I think a good start would be to enact a law that says that pork added to a bill has to actually have some connection to that bill. A national example would be the defense appropriation bill, which has how many billion for visitors centers and other things that have no connection to the national defense???
Third, if you want my thoughts on the best ways to get businesses to grow in your area, here it is: drop taxes and micro-regulation. Right now, any business knows they are going to get soaked in taxes and hidden taxes. Make open taxes reasonable, enough to cover water, sewage, and any other real, tangible benefit you are going to offer. No more, no less. Quit with the hidden taxes. Every requirement you put on them in regards pay, benefits, etc. has a price (just look at what well-meaning legislation has done to employment of young people). It also has a huge price in documenting compliance, which can mean hiring multiple people just to document said compliance. Go simple and smart, and you will get more jobs and can still keep things safe and clean. Quit treating businesses as both an enemy (the evil greedy corporation, etc.) and a teat to be milked 24/7 and watch things bloom.
Fourth, if you manage to get a surplus in the state budget (or any budget), bank a reasonable amount against a potential shortfall and give the rest back to the people you took it from. In other words, act like any responsible person or small business, and stop acting like giving back some of what you took at gunpoint is some huge favor.
Fifth, I don’t want some expensive blue-ribbon committee to bless the gerrymandering being done to voting districts. The Republican and Democratic party have worked long and hard to ensure a two party system, with an eye towards one coming out on top, long enough. People know that you have gone to ridiculous lengths to ensure that a given area has a given party representative (see Murtha’s district for just one example) so as to ensure balance of power. Quit it. Draw up real districts and let the chips fall where they may, as it is not about keeping you or your party in power. It is about representing the Citizens of the country, to whom you are a servant. People are fed up enough that if you keep playing these rotten little power games, you are going to see some new and powerful parties come along and smack both current major parties into the trash bin of history. Deservedly so. So, get real and adapt or die as parties.
Sixth, what I see as the main purpose of any government is fairly simple and laid out in the U.S. Constitution. It is not for it to be a nanny, it is not for it to be a parent, and it sure as hell is not in existence to “give” me things I haven’t earned. Governments exist to provide for the common defense and ensure a level playing field. It is not the place of government to try and create an artificial (and insulting) equal outcome; rather, it is to ensure that everyone has a level playing field so that they can make the most of it. Some will succeed and achieve greatness, some will do okay, and some will fail at things. That’s okay, and it is not your place to penalize those who do great to make the ones who fail feel better. It is not your place to subsidize those who don’t want to try. It is your place just to ensure equal opportunity. As part of that, people are going to do stupid things—let them. Sometimes the stupid thing works out pretty well. Other times, well, it works out to an improvement in the gene pool. If there is a cost to their stupidity, make them or their estate pay for it, not the people who weren’t stupid.
Seventh, I do want real healthcare and other reform. Quit trying to bankrupt the next ten or so generations to grab power today. A good start would be to end the artificial limits on insurance companies, and let them compete in multiple states. Enact tort reform. Sure, it will honk off the attorneys and put a crimp in your campaign cash flow, but suck it up and deal with it. If you enable real competition on insurance (for both doctors and patients) and get in real and effective tort reform, you will see healthcare costs come down rather substantially. I realize that it eliminates any chance for graft and corruption amongst politicians and bureaucrats, but suck it up and do the right thing.
There is more, but break is about over and I can sum it up as quit with the power grabs, get a grip, and do the right things. It is not your place to save everyone and everything, even if it lines your pockets or the pockets of those in the bureaucracy. Let people and businesses fail, remember that we are not subjects but are Citizens of the Republic (and quit saying we’re a democracy, we’re not and you are either pandering or stupid to say so) and we are your masters. You can keep on, but you will regret it. Promise. I may be a single individual, but I am legion and I vote—and I don’t have to vote for you.
I’m not quite to the point I will sell the house and use the money to support any fiscally responsible candidate who runs against an incumbent, but the idea is tempting…
Just some food for thought for you in the days ahead.
Monday, January 04, 2010
A New Blog: The UnTourist
At the suggestion of Kanani at The Kitchen Dispatch, I’ve started a new blog to concentrate on travel, food, and drink called The UnTourist. I will be moving all my posts on food, drink and travel over there as I can.
The new blog allows me to separate these types of posts from politics and other things, and hopefully will provide a wider audience. We will see how it goes, but it is now up, running, and off to a fairly good start I think. Let me know what you think.
LW
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
UnTourist: Cluny
Sometimes one can combine business with pleasure, or combine several areas of appreciation into one visit. While in Paris, I had the chance to visit the Cluny museum, which focuses on the middle ages. While the Unicorn Tapestries hold pride of place there, the museum provides a good overview from Roman times up to reasonably recent days. One of the treats of the museum, for me, was a collection of cooking gear.
I will admit that I am as spoiled as the next person in terms of kitchen gear, and I do have to laugh at those who complain that they can’t stand a particular range or oven because it is not precise to within some decimal point of a particular temperature. If you think that is horrid, never look back at the prime means of cooking for many a year, the firepit/fireplace. If you look closely, you can even make out a fish roaster amidst the means of spitting or hanging meats, pots, and more.
Speaking of pots, how would you like this in place of your nice new expensive cookware set? Our ancestors got by fairly well, how would you do?
Some things, however, stand the test of time quite well. The basics always do, though some modern updates to the basics are quite desirable. Some “modern” inventions are quite good, as I admit to being partial to forks.
If you get the chance to go visit the museum, it is well worth doing so. The kitchen implements and such are but a very small part of the collection, but fascinating for the foodie interested in the history of cooking and food.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
UnTourist: Food in France, Fromagerie Laurent Dubois
The dog is not the only one in the home to be hooked on cheese. With few exceptions, even the worst cheese is better than no cheese at all. After seeing Laurent Dubois (2 Rue de Laurmel 75015 Paris) profiled by Andrew Zimmern, I knew that a stop was on my must-do list for Paris.
The small shop belies the sheer amount of cheese inside. Dozens of different types of cheese are presented to you, on display like the creations of a top-flight jewelry store. It is a showroom of cultured, processed, and curdled milk—cheese, in all is glory and magnificence.
I think I ended up purchasing a half dozen or so different types of cheese. None were bad, but I did have some favorites. The cheese above, Rocamadour, was in that latter category. It was fine by itself, but even better with a bit of baguette (and some good wine).
The Rouelle was not a favorite, but not bad.
If memory serves, I got some Roquefort for use in the truffled mac and cheese I made to go with the steak dinner cooked at Landstuhl. I think there was some left to go in…
I’m not sure we actually got any of this, so that means I need to go back and try it. There were limits on what all I could get, as we had limited refrigerator space and still had to walk to the Eiffel Tower and do more touring, so I was being mindful of the bags and weight. I failed to get a picture of an aged cheese that I got with the mac and cheese in mind, and it was hard to save any of it for that purpose.
One that somehow made it to Germany unscathed still almost didn’t make it into the mac and cheese. The Banon de Provence was simply delicious, and a certain Angel and I sampled it to the point that it almost wasn’t a contribution to the dish.
While I would never advocate the smuggling of cheese into the US, I would fully understand if someone did so after going to the Fromagerie Laurent Dubois. It is definitely a reason to be sure there is a refrigerator in your accomodations, and the reason I may be sure there is a fabric cooler in my luggage next time to aid in travel.
Would that there had been the time and opportunity to sample more of the delights. If you like cheese, you need to visit this store as well as the cheese store local to you. Stop in, get a snack for walking the sights; get something more substantive for a light meal that night; or, just get a small selection to try with some wine (or wines better yet) that evening.
Recommended
Monday, December 28, 2009
UnTourist: Food in France, Maison de la Truffe
Well, I like to think of myself as a fun guy, and I love fungi such as mushrooms. The top of the fungi list is held by truffles, and while in Paris I got to visit the crown jewel of truffles in France: Maison de la Truffe. A few doors down (and across a street) from Maille Mustard, at 19 Place de la Madeleine (Madeleine Metro station), this small stop put a huge hole in my budget and carved out a spot in my heart.
I would have loved to have eaten in the restaurant that is attached to the narrow store, but I had counted my pennies so that I could sample a small bit of the wares available. There are indeed wares to get, both in a counter, an open set of shelves, and a locked case.
I’ve given instructions to some friends that if I go in again I either have to leave my wallet outside with them, or wear the heavy duty shock collar. If I even point to the locked case, they are to hit and hold the button on the collar.
As it was, I was good. One bottle of white truffle oil, one of black, a small tin of truffle bits (breakage actually), a small jar of preserved black truffles, and a jar of truffle salt. The prices actually were not bad for the product, and I will highly recommend their oils and the truffle salt to anyone wanting to cook with truffle. The oils are very well done, and a little can go a long way. As it was, I used up the bottle of black truffle oil cooking a steak dinner for the wounded at Landstuhl (and a teaser meal of spaghetti, the noodles of which were tossed in the truffle oil and eaten without the sauce by several).
If you are a foodie, this is a must-visit while in Paris. It is easy to reach from anywhere, especially from downtown business locations and hotels. The real problem will be not going crazy with shopping, as I would have cheerfully gotten about one of everything in there. If nothing else, simply go in and breathe in the aromas.
Highly recommended.
For more on travel and food in France, check out:
Getting Around Paris
Food in France: An Introduction
One of Two Favorite Meals
Random Salads
Chocolate
Le Peres et Filles
Not in France, but Fleur de Lys
Maille Mustard
Content copyright C. Blake Powers and the individual authors. Comments become the property of C. Blake Powers and may be altered, edited, deleted, and used by C. Blake Powers or the individual authors without restriction or recompense.
